In 1815, Francisco de Goya painted A Procession of Flagellants at a time when Spain was still reeling from the trauma of the Peninsular War and the return of the Inquisition. This work stands out for its daring depiction of a religious ritual that, by Goya’s day, was already controversial and increasingly suppressed by authorities. The painting captures a real event: the annual Holy Week processions in Spanish towns, where penitents—some hooded, some bare-chested—marched through the streets, publicly whipping themselves in acts of devotion and penance.

Goya, who had witnessed these spectacles firsthand in his youth, returned to the subject with a critical eye, exposing the persistence of superstition and fanaticism in a supposedly enlightened age. The scene unfolds at dusk, the crowd dense and restless, as a line of flagellants advances under the heavy gaze of the townspeople. Central in the composition are the penitents, their bodies marked with blood, their faces hidden beneath pointed hoods—visual echoes of both secrecy and suffering. Goya’s brush lingers on the contrast between the ritual’s solemnity and the morbid fascination of the onlookers; the flickering candlelight casts long shadows, heightening the sense of unease.

The chains and scourges carried by the penitents are not just instruments of pain but symbols of spiritual bondage, their gestures caught between agony and ecstasy. Unlike earlier, more reverent treatments of religious processions—such as those by Murillo—Goya’s approach is unsparing, even satirical, questioning the value and humanity of such displays. The exact commission history of A Procession of Flagellants remains unclear, though it is generally believed to be part of a group of works Goya produced in the 1810s reflecting on Spanish customs and religious excess. The painting’s journey through time is somewhat obscure; it entered the Prado’s collection in the 19th century, likely through royal or state acquisition, and has since become a key reference for understanding Goya’s critical engagement with his society.

Created during a period when Goya himself was increasingly isolated and disillusioned, this work belongs to the same era as his Black Paintings and Disasters of War series, sharing their dark palette and skeptical tone. Today, A Procession of Flagellants stands as a vivid testament to Goya’s fearless observation of the rituals that shaped—and haunted—Spanish life.